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sarchasm

(1,009 posts)
Mon Feb 15, 2021, 05:29 PM Feb 2021

Parler, a Social Network That Attracted Trump Fans, Returns Online

Source: New York Times

Feb. 15, 2021 - Updated 2:29 p.m. ET -- SAN FRANCISCO — Parler, the social network that drew millions of Trump supporters before disappearing from the internet, is back online a month after Amazon and other tech giants cut off the company for hosting calls for violence around the time of the Capitol riot.

Getting iced out by the tech giants turned Parler into a cause celebre for conservatives who complained they were being censored, as well as a test case for the openness of the internet. It was unclear if the social network, which had positioned itself as a free speech and lightly moderated site, could survive after it had been blacklisted by the biggest tech companies.

For weeks, it appeared the answer was no. But on Monday, for the first time since Jan. 10, typing parler.com into a web browser returned a page to log into the social network — a move that had required weeks of work by the small company and that had led to the departure of its chief executive. Parler executives did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday.

It was unclear exactly how Parler had figured out how to host its site on computer servers, the central technology underpinning any website, though it appeared Parler had partnered with a smaller company for the service. Many of the large web-hosting firms had previously rejected it. For other services required to run a large website, Parler relied on help from a Russian firm that once worked for the Russian government and a Seattle firm that once supported a neo-Nazi site.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/15/technology/parler-back-online.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

30 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Parler, a Social Network That Attracted Trump Fans, Returns Online (Original Post) sarchasm Feb 2021 OP
Didn't that twitter user that used to monitor parler & post on the idiocy change his/her hlthe2b Feb 2021 #1
I don't think there was ever a question they could get the site back online ... mr_lebowski Feb 2021 #2
Android users can get apps from other stores. mwooldri Feb 2021 #12
True ... but a lot of people don't know of all those alternate places for android apps mr_lebowski Feb 2021 #13
I'm pretty sure Russia is doing their hosting Major Nikon Feb 2021 #27
Hosting data Jigsaw007 Feb 2021 #29
Your concern is noted Major Nikon Feb 2021 #30
It might be beneficial to keep it open... nycbos Feb 2021 #3
agree nt orleans Feb 2021 #11
Maybe a hidden FBI company is hosting them! kimbutgar Feb 2021 #28
I wonder Ollie Garkie Feb 2021 #4
Honeypot. Honeypot. My Pet Orangutan Feb 2021 #5
This is fantastic ... aggiesal Feb 2021 #6
+1 DeminPennswoods Feb 2021 #25
Part of their new Privacy Terms dated yesterday ... marble falls Feb 2021 #7
I don't know where you sourced that, but the wording is identical to Yapwire's Denzil_DC Feb 2021 #10
On parler's website. It's one of the few I come close to getting off the first read. marble falls Feb 2021 #15
All I can access on Parler right now is the front page I described below. Denzil_DC Feb 2021 #20
Doesn't look like it's up and running at the moment. Denzil_DC Feb 2021 #8
So Putin is bringing it back? Irish_Dem Feb 2021 #9
Probably Rebekah Mercer FakeNoose Feb 2021 #14
So what is up with the Russian connection? Irish_Dem Feb 2021 #16
I can't say for sure, but ... FakeNoose Feb 2021 #17
You circled back to make my point. Irish_Dem Feb 2021 #18
I'll bet there's a lot of FBI & NSA agents watching this Bucky Feb 2021 #19
We can only hope not fooled Feb 2021 #26
I say burn it down. Do whatever it takes to silence the hate outlet. Ford_Prefect Feb 2021 #21
I did Nazi that coming Polybius Feb 2021 #22
They're now hosted by Skysilk Crash2Parties Feb 2021 #23
Feed me! orangecrush Feb 2021 #24

hlthe2b

(101,730 posts)
1. Didn't that twitter user that used to monitor parler & post on the idiocy change his/her
Mon Feb 15, 2021, 05:35 PM
Feb 2021

twitter "handle?" They should change it back, I think.

 

mr_lebowski

(33,643 posts)
2. I don't think there was ever a question they could get the site back online ...
Mon Feb 15, 2021, 05:37 PM
Feb 2021

Someone, SOMEWHERE will host your website if you pay them.

However, if neither Google Play, nor Apple Store, will host your phone app?

You're going to hurt for new users, big time.

mwooldri

(10,291 posts)
12. Android users can get apps from other stores.
Mon Feb 15, 2021, 06:31 PM
Feb 2021

Samsung has an app store, Amazon has an app store, there are other app stores other than Google Play for Android type phones. Apps can also be directly distributed via a website too.

Apple is a different story. Apple App store or bust. Or work to somehow make what you want work in the Safari mobile browser. I believe Parler will go that route for Apple users. If Parler can convince Apple it has cleaned up its act then it might be let back on.

 

mr_lebowski

(33,643 posts)
13. True ... but a lot of people don't know of all those alternate places for android apps
Mon Feb 15, 2021, 06:56 PM
Feb 2021

And I kinda meant Google Play as a generic source, shoulda been more specific

I'm guessing a number of those other sources (Amazon app store in particular given their site was kicked off AWS) also shut down distribution of their app.

 

Jigsaw007

(8 posts)
29. Hosting data
Tue Feb 16, 2021, 01:50 PM
Feb 2021

Parlor.com is registered with Epik, LLC. They are located in Sammamish, Washington

Parlor.com email is hosted at Microsoft 365. The corporate office for Microsoft is in Redmond, Washington.

The parlor.com website is hosted at IP address 216.246.208.249 by a company called NTT America, Inc. They are located in New York City, New York

I see no indication that of these companies are in Russia nor do I see Nazi's running around their server rooms.

nycbos

(6,033 posts)
3. It might be beneficial to keep it open...
Mon Feb 15, 2021, 05:39 PM
Feb 2021

... just so the FBI can monitor it. Since these people seem stupid enough to discuss their terrorist plans out in the open.

kimbutgar

(20,882 posts)
28. Maybe a hidden FBI company is hosting them!
Tue Feb 16, 2021, 12:22 PM
Feb 2021

They can then keep tabs on them. I could see the FBI setting up a shell internet web hosting site and keeping tabs on users and posts,

marble falls

(56,359 posts)
7. Part of their new Privacy Terms dated yesterday ...
Mon Feb 15, 2021, 05:55 PM
Feb 2021

Registration and Profile Information.When you sign up for an account, we may collect information such as your name, email address, displayname, and profile photo.

Verification Information. If you choose to go through the verification process, we may ask for information that can be used to verify your identity, such as scans of your government-issued photo identification. When your government-issued photo identification information is no longer necessary to verify your identity, we delete the scans (front and back). We retain only an anonymized hash corresponding to the information the identification document contains, in order to prevent identity theft and impostor accounts. No personally identifiable information from your identification document can be retrieved from the stored hash. In addition to the identification information, we ask for you to take a selfie. We retain the selfie to prevent the creation of impostor accounts, but we store them securely, in encrypted form.

Influencer Network Information.Unlike other platforms, Parler allows you to monetize your content, following, and goodwill. As part of that, the law requires us to collect certain pieces of personally identifiable information. Specifically, in addition to identification information (see above under “verification” for our collection and treatment of identifying information), we
2collect information on form W-9 as required by the IRS. We are required to do this in order to facilitate the receipt by you of payments earned on Parler. However, we store that information in secure, encrypted form. We never share it, sell it, or use it in any way other than for purposes of legal compliance.

Content you Share. We collect any information you choose to provide on our Services, such as parleys (posts),follows,photos, videos, gifs, comments, votes, and echoes. Payment Information. If you make a purchase through our Services, your payment-related information, such as your credit and debit card or automated clearing house (ACH) information, is collected and stored by our third-party payment processor on our behalf.

Communications. If you contact us directly, we may receive additional information about you. For example, if you contact us for customer support, we may receive your name, email address, phone number, the contents of any message or attachments you may send to us, and any other information you choose to provide.



Absolutely do not shut it down. All the information the gov't needs from any RW nitwit dumb enough to share it.

Denzil_DC

(7,188 posts)
10. I don't know where you sourced that, but the wording is identical to Yapwire's
Mon Feb 15, 2021, 06:21 PM
Feb 2021

on its "Privacy" page: https://yapwire.com/site/privacy

A few other RW sites seem to have the same privacy statements, like A Pillar of Truth and Pawerful (though Pawerful seems slow to load the point of not functioning at all).

Denzil_DC

(7,188 posts)
20. All I can access on Parler right now is the front page I described below.
Mon Feb 15, 2021, 07:54 PM
Feb 2021

There are no links on that landing page to navigate anywhere else on the site, and experimenting by adding "/privacy" etc. to the URL just shows an animated logo.

Maybe it's intermittently more functional?

Denzil_DC

(7,188 posts)
8. Doesn't look like it's up and running at the moment.
Mon Feb 15, 2021, 06:14 PM
Feb 2021

The front page for https://parler.com/ just carries the heading "Parler Status Upates" and a few messages. The first reads

Parler!

Technical Difficulties

Now seems like the right time to remind you all — both lovers and haters — why we started this platform. We believe privacy is paramount and free speech essential, especially on social media. Our aim has always been to provide a nonpartisan public square where individuals can enjoy and exercise their rights to both.

We will resolve any challenge before us and plan to welcome all of you back soon. We will not let civil discourse perish!


followed by a couple of bunches of verbage from Parler itself, dated January 21, whining about alleged "personal attacks" against its CEO and his family (and with some gall invoking President Biden's call for unity) and the failure of its lawsuit against Amazon. Then there are testimonials (in a couple of cases, rants - I'm looking at you, Levin) posted a couple of days earlier in January from Sean Hannity, Rand Paul, Mark Levin, Amy Peikoff and Dan Bongino.

FakeNoose

(32,356 posts)
17. I can't say for sure, but ...
Mon Feb 15, 2021, 07:09 PM
Feb 2021

... my guess is Russian trolls are posting a lot of the negative stuff that RWNJs get woodies over. Who pays the trolls? Pootie of course.

Ford_Prefect

(7,828 posts)
21. I say burn it down. Do whatever it takes to silence the hate outlet.
Mon Feb 15, 2021, 09:48 PM
Feb 2021

Mercer Financed it and maintains it as a safe haven for that thought and those people. They shouldn't be safe in their hate and their violent intent.

They should have to confront the truth that there is NO place for it. You wouldn't condone a similar arrangement for those who traffic in child porn.

They need to be isolated, and condemned, and Mercer should be investigated for her promotion of that corner of the medium as a conduit for those who believe that Q is the only source and hate is the only answer.

I have worked alongside some of those who built parts of the web, and they would argue endlessly about the 1st amendment protecting speech and how we needed to be careful NOT to shut off free and fair exchange of ideas. The counter argument runs that you cannot determine what is fair and free when the sources are hidden and can be manipulated to appear as anyone. Truth it seems is more complex than belief would desire it.

Mercer has been part of the Dark Money chain funding Right Wing propaganda for a long time. Her interest and her commitment to funding the site are a clear and unmistakable attempt to generate one more alternative universe of facts supporting Right Wing fantasy and hostility alongside more conventional sources like FOX News, OAN, and Newsmax.

Crash2Parties

(6,017 posts)
23. They're now hosted by Skysilk
Mon Feb 15, 2021, 10:16 PM
Feb 2021

Who felt compelled to send a notice out to their other customers explaining how they do not support hate at all, they just support haters who hate because, Freedom. Or some such corporate drivel designed to distance themselves without losing income.

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